Quinnipiac Confers 93 Medical Degrees During Commencement Ceremony

Press release

HAMDEN, Conn. – Connecticut Department of Public Health Commissioner Manisha Juthani, MD, urged the Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine Class of 2024 to “be your best selves every day” and always abide by the principle of “health as a human right.”
“You now hold the coveted title of ‘doctor,’” Juthani told the 93 graduates from the lectern at M&T Bank Arena on Friday afternoon. “No matter what your career holds, you will be a listener, a healer, a leader in your family and in your community. When people are suffering, they need to trust someone and they will depend on you. You will have the privilege to hear their most intimate thoughts and console them during their most vulnerable moments. Show compassion, and always honor their humanity.”
Representing a diverse cross-section of the population and set to embark on residencies spanning 22 states and 23 specialties, the graduates listened to a series of inspiring speeches before Lyuba Konopasek, MD, senior associate dean for education at the Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine, led them in reciting the Quinnipiac Netter Physician’s Pledge.
President Judy Olian praised the graduates for how they “emerged stronger” from circumstances no medical students had ever faced and finished “on a high note, with a brilliant future ahead.”
“This has been quite a journey — one marked by pride and joy but also by more than a few twists and turns along the way,” Olian said. “I congratulate you — and I thank you — for adapting and adjusting with grace and generosity to, yes, we did have a pandemic. You weathered that period with strength and resilience. You supported each other and you supported communities around us.”
There are five more Commencement ceremonies scheduled at QU. At 5 p.m. tonight, Arunan Arulampalam, mayor of the city of Hartford, will address graduates from the School of Law at M&T Bank Arena.

The School of Business and School of Computing and Engineering undergraduate and graduate Commencement is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 11, on the Mount Carmel Campus Quad. Adele Merritt, Intelligence Community chief information officer, will be the guest speaker.

At 3 p.m., Jon-Paul Venoit, president and CEO of Masonicare, will address graduates during the School of Health Sciences undergraduate and graduate Commencement on the Mount Carmel Campus Quad.

On Sunday, May 12, at 10 a.m., casting director Jazzy Collins will speak at the undergraduate and graduate Commencement of the College of Arts and Sciences and School of Communications on the Mount Carmel Campus Quad.
At 3 p.m., Charlene M. Russell-Tucker, commissioner of the Connecticut State Department of Education, will address the School of Nursing and School of Education undergraduates and graduates on the Mount Carmel Campus Quad.